Now we have a date for the referendum, are you in or out or yet to make up your mind? Is it likely Scotland will vote to stay in the EU and thus save David Cameron's bacon? And if the UK votes to leave, but Scotland does not, will that precipitate another indie ref?

"Article 50 sets out the procedure to be followed if a country wishes to leave the EU. Its terms are important, so the box below gives the full text. In summary, the withdrawal process starts with a statement from the Prime Minister to the European Council (the collection of EU heads of state and government). Then a negotiation begins, with the 27 continuing members on one side of the table and the UK on the other. For a deal to be done, both sides need to agree. On the EU side, that requires support from a qualified majority of the continuing members (specifically, the so-called ‘super qualified majority’: at least 72 per cent of the continuing members, representing at least 65 per cent of their population) and from the European Parliament. If no deal is done within two years, the UK’s membership automatically ceases, unless the 27 vote unanimously to extend the negotiation."

Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty

"1. Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.

2. A Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council of its intention. In the light of the guidelines provided by the European Council, the Union shall negotiate and conclude an agreement with that State, setting out the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union. That agreement shall be negotiated in accordance with Article 218(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It shall be concluded on behalf of the Union by the Council, acting by a qualified majority, after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament.

3. The Treaties shall cease to apply to the State in question from the date of entry into force of the withdrawal agreement or, failing that, two years after the notification referred to in paragraph 2, unless the European Council, in agreement with the Member State concerned, unanimously decides to extend this period.

4. For the purposes of paragraphs 2 and 3, the member of the European Council or of the Council representing the withdrawing Member State shall not participate in the discussions of the European Council or Council or in decisions concerning it.

A qualified majority shall be defined in accordance with Article 238(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

5. If a State which has withdrawn from the Union asks to rejoin, its request shall be subject to the procedure referred to in Article 49."

I am sure it must make sense to some one

All together now....oot oot oot

Like me I doubt that the majority of the population will grasp the full arguments for staying or leaving. From now till voting day the politicians from all parties will be telling us what is best ,of course we all know when a politician tells us what is best, it's usually what's best for him.

I know my Summer'll never comeI know I'll cry until my dying day has comeLet the Winter roll alongI've got nothing left but song

This link gives a comprehensive and balanced analysis of the effects of Britain leaving the E U - - http://openeurope.org.uk/intelligence/b ... -a-brexit/ - - an this wee bit is in it - - " The process of leaving - - Article 50 – the only established legal way to leave the EU – is a major liability. Once triggered, there is no turning back, it excludes the UK from key decisions as well as the final vote and it leaves the EU in charge of the timetable during two years of negotiations, - - - - - - . "

I think we were right to have gone in, and in that connection it's important to remember the founding principles of the original Community. The problem is that the EU as it now is has grown arms and legs since then, such that even pro-Union folks like me have begun to have reservations about its current trajectory. Having said that, I don't like many of the arguments and motivations of the Leave campaign. So for me it comes down to voting, with a heavy heart, to remain, in the same way that I know others will be voting, with an equally heavy heart, to leave.

It's just a pity the arguments are being dominated by Project Fear 2 - threat of world war if we leave, prices in the shops to rise, and today, 820,000 jobs at risk. You just wish the politicians would get a grip. But then, Project Fear 1 worked on the Scots . . .

The debate does seem to have become polarised between two old Etonians - one a PM and one a would-be PM - coming up with more and more hyperbolic claims. One balance, I feel it is better to remain in the EU. It's not perfect, but we know what it is and that provides a degree of certainty. There is no certainty about leaving and that is too risky.